Starter Albert Pacheco roughed up in short stint, Spokane Indians lose to Vancouver 9-3

Some games you just don’t have it. Such was the case for Spokane Indians starter Albert Pacheco Saturday.

The 22-year-old Dominican was stellar in his first outing on April 6 when he tossed five shutout innings on one hit and a walk. But what worked for him that game was absent in his second start of the season.

Pacheco gave up seven runs and didn’t make it out of the second inning and the Indians lost to the Vancouver Canadians 9-3 in the fifth of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at Avista Stadium on Saturday.

Braylen Wimmer went 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Indians (4-4). Arjun Nimmala and Adrian Pinto homered for Vancouver (4-4).

Pacheco tossed a scoreless first for the Indians and the hitters staked him to a lead in the bottom half. Jared Thomas was hit with a pitch and stole second base. Wimmer reached on an infield single, and both moved up on a sacrifice bunt.

Aidan Longwell launched a fly ball to medium-deep center field and Thomas jogged home with the game’s first run.

But Pacheco walked back-to-back hitters to lead off the second. Aaron Parker followed with a line-drive double off the base of the wall in left-center to drive in a run, then Eddie Micheletti laced one into the left-field corner for a two-run double.

After another walk and a base hit, the bases were loaded for Toronto Blue Jays No. 1 prospect Nimmala, but Pacheco got him swinging on an off-speed pitch. Pacheco wasn’t so lucky with Victor Arias, who ripped an RBI single to right to make it 4-1.

Brennan Orf followed with a triple over Thomas’ head in center and Pacheco’s day was over.

Pacheco allowed seven runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts. He threw 56 pitches over 1⅓ innings, 31 for strikes.

Thomas led off the third with a double off the base of the wall in center, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Wimmer’s single.

Nimmala crushed a long homer off reliever Hunter Omlid in the fourth, his second of the series, to make it 8-2.

Indians second baseman Jean Perez got one back in the seventh, launching a solo homer – his first of the season and ninth in 759 career plate appearances.

But Canadians leadoff hitter Pinto answered with a solo shot in the eighth, restoring Vancouver’s six-run lead.

The season-opening nine-game homestand concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m.